In News

October 1st marked International Day of Older Persons, a world-wide initiative which works to help break down the barriers faced by older people across the globe. This year’s theme is  ‘Journey to Age Equality’ and continues the campaign to prevent inequality among the older generation. This annual celebration of older people aims to help raise awareness of the issues faced by older people around the world, something that we’d like to see continue all year around.

Figures released by researchers suggest that the trend of people living longer is set to continue and that by 2035 over 23% of the UK’s population will fall into the 65+ age bracket.  As such, the government and other organisations are working to make sure that negative attitudes towards older people and outdated stereotypes are eradicated as well as getting rid of barriers that can cause older people to become excluded from society and unable to enjoy the UK’s tourism industry. While the younger generations think of their older years as being the time to enjoy retirement and travel, the reality is that a lot of older people can find that their mobility is restricted due to health concerns or that they are often overlooked by attractions and other tourism destinations.

As we get older, we are encouraged to stay active by health professionals in order to keep as fit and healthy as possible, but for many, this can be difficult. Luckily, a large number of tourism destinations in the UK have made the effort to be as accessible as possible allowing people of all ages and abilities to travel around the UK and live life to the fullest.

Many hotels in the UK have installed facilities to allow older people to feel more at home when travelling, including adapted rooms, wet rooms, grab rails and enough space for wheelchairs and other mobility tools. These are just some of the ways that the tourism industry is helping contribute to age equality.

Click here to see our range of accommodation providers.

Do you have any suggestions of ways that tourism destinations can make their venues easier to access for older people? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

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Sources:

http://www.disabilityholidaysguide.com/holidays-for-the-elderly.aspx#sthash.nd8Gf6fk.dpbs

https://www.un.org/en/events/olderpersonsday/

http://bit.ly/2oBpw4J

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